Honesty and Respect - Ruchi Chaudhary

Talking about Honesty and Respect, one name comes to my mind, a girl in class 10th, Shivika. Teaching her since class 8, have never seen such an honest girl with so much Respect in her eyes for every teacher.

Recently during her unit test, Geography, she was surrounded by many students who were disturbing her a lot by asking questions as she was concentrating on a topographical map; two students sitting nearby bothered her a lot so that she was not able to complete her test on time and the first time she got fewer marks. I asked her reason for not getting good marks, but she said nothing to me during the time of the parent-teacher meeting; her mother emphasized that please check why she got fewer marks in one subject only. After asking many times, she shared all about that day and said please do not blame the teacher who was on duty on the Geography test day, I saw Respect and honesty in her eyes, and I did the needful.

As a human being, we have a right to take a stand on a matter which is wrong around us. But together with this, we have to show Respect to the person who actually teaching us and helping us to make our future. Shivika showed the virtue of honesty when she explained the reason for not getting good grades in my subject, and she showed Respect for the teacher in whose presence cheating was going around in the classroom.

I feel so proud to be a teacher when I encounter such a good student. 

Ruchi Chaudhary

Mussoorie Public School

Mussoorie 

Courage and Patience - Ahlcon Public School

Fearful child

A fearful child needs identification in the first place as they may appear as shy learners who are perfectly comfortable but choose to interact in a limited manner. So to deal with a fearful child, it is essential to first identify one.

The educator must tread carefully to build a rapport with the child. The child can be asked why he/she feels scared to interact and try to find a reason why the child behaves the way he /she behaves. 

It is essential to keep the parents informed and aware of what we are doing at school for the child. The child might be behaving in a completely different manner at home. In that case, the reason for a fearful approach in school should be found by talking to the child. If the child behaves fearfully at home, the cause has yet again to be adjudged. The behaviour of siblings, friends, bullying if any, parents attitude etc. has to be taken into account.

In school, very subtly, the child can be given responsibilities, which will give him confidence. Small efforts should be acknowledged and positively reinforced. The peer should be sensitized too.

Impatient child

Values are caught than taught. When in front of our students, we have to be consciously patient. By we, I mean both educators and parents. 

I have dealt with many impatient learners from classes 1 to 9. 

First and foremost, I set rules of classroom behaviour, both as a class teacher and subject teacher. It generally includes rules like 'raising a hand before speaking, 'not interrupting', and 'waiting for your turn.

Another technique is to have a one-on-one session with the child, sensitizing them about how others feel if he/she is constantly disrupting. Talk to him/her about respecting others' rights.

I will also talk to the parents. The atmosphere at home is essential. I will learn about the family dynamics and see where the child's behaviour is getting reinforced. I will tell the parents to patiently and consciously deal with the child.

In school, I will ensure even small attempts at being patient are acknowledged and positively reinforced.

Also, patience is a virtue that will be discussed in class. Students will be encouraged to discuss situations where they encountered impatient people and how they felt. The key is to internalize the value.

Mridula Renjit
Roopa Bhattacharyya
Ahlcon Public School
JOL Cohort 2022

Courage and Patience - Preeti Mahajan

A Fearful Student

Observation 

I was teaching English in class 6. The children were new to the senior wing and were trying to adjust to the new environment. One boy used to occupy the last seat always. He never made any attempt to answer the questions. His reading skills were also poor, and when talking to teachers, he used to stammer.

Action taken 

The child was handled politely and told that all the teachers were there to assist and guide him. They are not to be scared of. His classmates were sensitized to help him overcome his fears and apprehensions. He was given positive reinforcement quite often. After a few weeks, a good change was noticed.

My advice to the educators

1. Observe the child's unusual behaviour for at least one week 

2. Establish a good rapport with the child.

3. Talk to him and allow him to open up.

4. Sensitize his classmates about his fears and apprehensions.

5. Make the classroom environment happy and comfortable.

6. If the need arises, talk to the parents.

7. Scolding and snubbing are a complete no-no for such children.

8. Friendliness and politeness can do wonders to make a fearful child a confident one.

An impatient student

Observation

I noticed a child in class 7 who exhibited fidgety and restless behaviour. He never waited for his turn to

answer the questions. He did not allow others to speak. During recess time, he also pushed others to make his way to the canteen.

Action taken

After observing him for a few days, I approached and counselled him for the misbehaviour. He was told about the invaluable virtual of patience in our life by giving examples. Regular follow-up was done to check his mannerism. In about a month, a positive change was noticed in his behaviour.

My advice to the educators

1. Observe the child's behaviour for at least one week.

2. If the child exhibits impatient behaviour or restless attitude, try to know the reason

3. Counsel him and state the disadvantages of being impatient in life.

4. Give him some extra work to occupy him.

5. Mind games and puzzles can also be employed.

6. Most importantly, don't lose your own patience while handling an impatient child.

Preeti Mahajan
Ahlcon Public School 

Courage and Patience - Shalini Solanki

A Fearful Student

I had an experience with a fearful student in my class during this session. This student was new in the school and was struggling to settle in the classroom. He would not speak or respond to anyone in the class. I had to remind him to submit his things to me or eat during the lunch break. He would never share anything in circle time or enjoy any co-curricular activities. I observed him for a few days and thought of speaking to his mother to know about him. I gave a routine call to his mother. To my surprise, I got to know different attitudes of this child from his mother. I got an idea about his discomfort and challenges in the class.

The next day I went to my class and started speaking to him about my personal life, likes and dislikes. Some other students also started discussing with their friends and family members. He then said about his friends and teachers from his previous school. I asked him to sit with his peers and try to make friends. I sensitized other students by taking a story about ‘The first day in my new school’ and discussed the difficulties that can be faced by any child who joins a new school. I asked the new child about him not getting involved with other students and activities. He told me that he is scared of the new environment and teachers. He thought his teachers would scold him if he was going to ask anything in the class or give wrong answers. He observed the happy faces of his teachers and peers and how comfortable everybody seemed to be with one another. He started taking the initiative, laughing, sharing and discussing in the school. He made many friends. I saw a totally different personality in this child. He was intelligent, attentive, and expressive, and his writing was praiseworthy. Everybody in the class helped this new child to overcome his fear. He was ultimately settled and happy.

My advice to educators:

1. Try to identify the problem of a child.
2. Speak to him/ her and try to solve the problem.
3. Sensitize students and create an environment of acceptance.
4. Give time and help the new child overcome his/ her fear
5. Make the classroom environment happy and welcoming.
6. Don’t jump to any conclusion.

An Impatient Student

There are many reasons for an impatient behaviour social, emotional, physical and mental. I experienced such behaviour in my class a few years ago. A student was always in a hurry to complete every task. He would never wait for his turn and always used to leave his written work incomplete. Even after regular reminders, he continued with the same attitude. He was an intelligent child, but the quality of work was impacted because he was in a hurry and did not complete it with patience. Once, during the circle time discussion, he shared that he doesn’t want to wait or write for whatever he knows already. He was impatient because he wished to challenge his work. He would want to wait to answer the questions unknown to him and write his own ideas rather than writing something discussed in the class. He was always excited to help others in their work. So I asked him to help his peers with their problems but only after finishing his work neatly. That way, his work was completed, and his curiosity was cared for. He was more than happy to help others and find ways to explain things to his peers.

My advice to educators:

1. Try to identify the problem of a child.

2. Some children need challenges. Teachers must give them opportunities.

3. Keep motivating your students.

Shalini Solanki

Gyanshree School
JOL Cohort 2022

My Classroom - Anvesha Rana

Teachers help students to find things that they have lost…

sometimes it's their book, bottle or bag but most of the time

it is the child's confidence, patience, courage and smile.

If I were an educator and had the opportunity to deal with students from diverse backgrounds, I would first understand that a classroom is like a garden blooming with flowers. Flowers that are of all different shapes and sizes, colours and fragrances. In my class, each student would be treated like a flower, nurtured with care, watered with love and planted with firmness. I only vision this garden right now, but I hope to visit it one day; oozing with so much learning, education, laughter and love. 

Nothing is perfect, but our imperfections are what make us. Imagine how monotonous a classroom would be without the troublemakers, the backbenchers and the ones at the root cause of the chaos. They are the imperfections that make you imperfect. Similarly, perfection will not be the key in my class, but accepting your flaws and trying your best will be one of the core principles. So no flower will be perfect; all of them will enter the gates of the raw garden only to learn how to appreciate themselves, just the way they are.

I don't want perfect flowers, but I like happy flowers, so if a fearful student or an impatient learner enters my class. I will try my best to make them grow. 

A fearful student will be afraid of others, but more than that, they will lack trust in themselves. Fear is nothing more than an obstacle in the way of progress. In overcoming our fears, we can move forward more robust and wiser within ourselves. First, I will try to understand my student's fear of making friends, coming to school or interacting with teachers. Then I will try to counsel them. Also, I will open up with the student to increase their confidence. As a teacher, I will be frank towards them, like regularly cracking jokes or talking about simple everyday things. This way, I will develop a comfort and fun level with the student, and then I would ask them to do the same with the other kids and maybe with every new person they meet. 

I hope that I will be able to pull the fearful student out of his pot and help him grow into a beautiful, lush green tree. 

If an impatient student ever enters my class, I would make them learn patience and appreciation. Most impatient people are attention seekers and think that they are the best. So humility will also be an integral value for the impatient student. I would try to interact with the impatient student separately and give them exercises to increase patience. As a teacher, I would demonstrate how patience helps in life and why it is important to inspire them to walk onto the path of patience. 

I hope that through all this, I will be able to ameliorate patience in this young learner. 

I would love to be a teacher because a teacher is not only an educator but a learner, a counsellor, a parent, an entertainer and a confidant. 

Anvesha Rana,

Grade 10-B,

Gyanshree School

Courage and Patience - Roopa Bhattacharya

A Fearful Student

Fear is one of the seven universal emotions experienced by everyone around the world. Student fears are performance-based anxiety, fear of failure, fear of being laughed at, fear of public speaking, etc... This stems from cultural and familial reasons and individual responses to the environment and circumstances they face. While a teacher cannot immediately solve the deep-rooted fears that the child may have by providing an open, encouraging, friendly and trusting atmosphere in the class, the teacher may be able to wean out the child from some of the fears that he/she may have. It becomes the responsibility of the teacher to set specific rules on values, norms and behaviour that every student is expected to adhere to. Once the fearful child is put in this environment, we may expect him or her to overcome the psychological reasons for their fear. 

A girl was hushed this academic year in my class and never volunteered for any class activity. Hence during the parent-teacher meeting, I asked her mother why she was so quiet and did not volunteer for any activity. After speaking with her mother, I learned that in the previous academic year, she forgot her lines while reciting a poem in the class, and her classmates laughed at her. This made her fearful of taking part in any class activity. I groomed her for inter section recitation competition, in which she did exceedingly well and has now been able to overcome her fear.

An Impatient Student

Impatience in children is another indicator of lack of confidence and self-belief, which they may often try to camouflage through bravado. Counselling the child about the virtues of patience will likely change the child’s attitude and behaviour.

I had a student who would snap at other children and criticize them whenever they made the slightest mistake. This made her unpopular with other children. After noticing her behaviour for some time, I realized that her conduct was just a put-on act to cover her own insecurities. Hence, I counselled her to display patience and be appreciative of others. Once she understood the virtue of patience, her conduct behaviour changed for the better.

Teachers should examine the cause of impatient behaviour in the child and then counsel them.

Roopa Bhattacharyya
Ahlcon Public School
JOL Cohort 2022

Courage and Patience - Rishona Chopra and Simar Kaur

Courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear. 

~Nelson Mandela 

Courage is simply conquering your fear despite how much it frightens you. Tell yourself to take the leap when you are too afraid to do something. You will take time to rise to the occasion, but one fine day, you will wake up and tell yourself, 'Today is the day I take the leap'.

Courage can be moral or physical. Feeling pain physically but still doing it is physical courage. However, even if we are physically fearless, our mind is fearful of a lot of things. These are things you don't feel ready for, things that frighten you, and the thought of them happening to you sends chills down your spine, things that haven't perhaps happened but are killing you inside. But at the end of the day, they will happen to you. Feeling that you are not ready to face them will be a part of the challenge, but telling yourself that you are fine and can handle it is the better part. And that is courage. Courage is not thinking that you will do something in the future; it is the ability to slowly get yourself to do it. Telling yourself daily that you are ready and will do it is courage. And then, a day will come when you will soar high in the sky and think about the time you struggled to do the same, and you will be grateful. And that is life. 

Patience is not simply the ability to wait, it’s how we behave while we are waiting. ~Joyce Meyer 

Patience is the biggest virtue one needs to achieve something. It is not the ability to wait but to keep a good attitude while waiting. While working in a team, we require patience; a student involves patience, a teacher, and a doctor in our daily life; patience is one thing that can solve all problems. Doesn't it feel great when somebody listens to you patiently? In the book - Totto-chan, the headmaster patiently understands students and talks and listens to them. The school wouldn't be that unique and extraordinary if he were impatient. Patience can be used in the smallest of things. Imagine you are waiting for a printout for your school project, and the printer isn't working! That is so annoying! You keep getting annoyed, and instead of waiting until the paper comes out, you restart it repeatedly. If you do that, the printer would be annoyed and ultimately stop working or work even slower. On the other hand, if you wait patiently for the paper to come out, it could. Although having patience is annoying, it is necessary as you might get into a fight with someone too! Like you got into a battle with the printer in the above example. Patience is more than a virtue for long lines and slow waiters. Patience is the red carpet upon which God's grace approaches us.

Patience and courage are strongly connected. One needs the courage to be patient. Courage is not just used for overcoming fears but overcoming the challenge of inculcating these values too. Courage is living with patience; courage and patience are bound together, as the will is bound to time. 

One common fear that we all face is losing loved ones. We hate the thought of it happening to us because we don't feel ready; we don't feel like we can handle that kind of sorrow yet. But, everything doesn't happen according to us. You need to be patient to understand that even if we are not ready, someone will leave us forever - that is the inevitable yet frightening part of our lives. We can't control it and don't feel courageous enough to handle it. But the truth is that we will never be ready.

You will have the courage to let them go one day, but you will remember them forever. Instead, you'll be grateful to have had someone like that in your life. Maybe it will take 2 years or 15 years, but you will be ready one day and courageous enough to let them go and not feel guilty about being happy. Because that's simply the way, life works. And you will have the courage to face it one day, even if you don't have it yet. The thought that our loved ones will disappear just scares us because we don't live in the present and think about the future. We are not patient with life; we don't let life unfold its destiny but keep thinking about it. We must be patient in life and, most importantly, to ourselves, too, which takes courage.

Written by Rishona Chopra and Simar Kaur from Gyanshree School, Noida.

An Imaginary Educator... - Simar Kaur

Simar Kaur from Gyanshree School, Noida

‘The best teachers are those who show you where to look but don’t tell you what to see’. 

I think that teaching is one of the most critical and challenging jobs. Teachers are the pillars in students’ lives; without their encouragement and driving force, students find it hard to explore themselves. Dealing with different kinds of students can be hectic, but teachers work hard to make sure that everyone in their class understands the concept. They ensure that everyone feels included and gets equal chances and opportunities. And that is why I admire their profession. They convert present learners to future leaders. 

Now, if I were an educator, taking my teachers as inspiration, I would deal with different students differently. 

For example: If a learner in my class was too impatient to wait for his turn, I would tell him to calm down in a classroom where everyone gets a say. I would ask him to take three deep breaths and write the answer down, and his excitement told me that he knew the answer. However, some learners are unaware of the solution. So, before giving a chance to someone who already knows the answer, we must ensure that everyone else also knows the answer. 

Similarly, a fearful learner will have trouble communicating with the rest of the class and will probably hold himself back from answering. I believe that students know the answer, but they fear getting it wrong and the embarrassment they think they will experience. So, as an educator, I would encourage them to tell their doubts in class and answer questions. Even for a small amount of participation, I will appreciate their effort. Apart from that, fear can also be generated by peers who are not friends. So I would give the student opportunities to be comfortable with everyone in the class so that he doesn't feel humiliated even if he answers a question wrongly. I would tell him to repeat these lines whenever he feels scared or fearful - ‘I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is a little death that brings total obliteration. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past, I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone, there will be nothing. Only I will remain.’ These lines were written in the fictional book ‘Dune’; sometimes, when I feel scared, I tell myself to calm down and repeat these lines. And it works for me. 

Making students aware of the tactful techniques I use to overcome these problems would be my go-to method to help them. By telling anecdotes of my own and of other people, I would make sure that they inculcate these values. These are my current thoughts, but I know I still have a lot left to learn from my teachers and educators, and I’m looking forward to the limited years I will spend with my teachers here at Gyanshree. 

Courage and Patience - Nitin Sharma

1. A fearful student:

“Fear is a fundamental human emotion that can help us protect from danger and prepare us to take action. 

Here I would like to share the story of Sujal, who joined the school three years back. He used to sit at the last desk in the class. He was not very comfortable sharing his response with the teachers. After noticing, I met Sujal’s mother in this context a month later. After meeting them, I learned that in his previous school, in his class, 55 students were there, and no personal attention was paid. Sujal used to sit on the last seat and also had a short vision. His math teacher was very harsh and used to run the syllabus fast. Sujal had never matched his speed, so he kept lagging behind. His work remained incomplete, and he even got corporal punishment from the teacher. He kept telling his parents that he would no longer go to school. So, his parents decided to change his school. His mother burst into tears after narrating this incident, and also, the whole scene of corporal punishment was running before my eyes. I promised to help this child the best I could and requested my colleagues support him in overcoming his fear. 

2. An impatient student: 

Patience is not the ability to wait but to keep the right attitude while waiting. In today’s scenario, students quickly lose their patience in the classroom. Here I would like to share the story of one such student Manya of class VII, a very restless and outspoken girl. Her response in the class was good. Manya was in the habit of passing the comments on to others whenever reading was done in the classroom. She used to intervene by saying that she would do the reading alone and not give a chance to other students. Even though she was in the habit of disturbing the teacher in the class by passing small comments like this boy is saying this and that to me. Thus, the whole teaching environment in the class was disturbed by her. Many students in the class had written a letter regarding her behaviour and requested to take action against her. One day I called Manya and gave chances to others. She was responsible for class monitoring and helping the weak students to come ahead. 

How did/will you deal with the student? If it was a real-life situation, were they successfully helping him/her overcome their problem?

Yes, it was a real-life situation in both cases. To help the fearful children, the following steps were taken:

1. All subject teachers were requested to hand holding, that is, to give sufficient time to complete their work. 

2. Buddy was assigned 

3. More exposure was given (involvement in the activities) 

4. Good appreciation was given even for small response 

To help the impatient child:

1. More responsibilities were assigned, such as helping other students. 

2. Some actions of teamwork were assigned. 

Advice:

Courage and patience are very essential values not only in teachers but in our life also. These two values will help us to attain our teaching goals. As we know, patience usually wins in the end. A student needs to be courageous enough, and a teacher must be patient for effective teaching. 

Ms Nitin Sharma 

Kamla Nehru Public School, 

Phagwara 

JOL Cohort 2022

If I were an Educator - Rishona Chopra

Impatient and fearful, how do we handle the situation?

If I met an impatient and fearful student, situations I can think of with them are like this -

An impatient student - If a question is asked, they can't wait for their turn. They can't wait for other students to finish speaking or working in a team; they don't wait for anyone else and carry on doing their work without any regard that they have to work in a group.

A fearful student -  if they are afraid of being laughed at or are worried that they might fail exams and not do well in their studies.

If I were a teacher, then for the impatient students, I would try to give them a taste of their own medicine - by not being patient with them and then soon tell them that when you are patient and give others a chance, they also feel nice. Still, when you are impatient, it simply shows that you are being disrespectful to them. 

For the fearful students, I would tell them that all their fears are just in their minds. Fear is created in the mind. All you need to do is stop imagining to remove the fear. I would remind them of a Birbal tale - where Birbal was told to imagine that he is in a deep forest surrounded by hungry tigers and lions and has no weapon either, so what would he do? Birbal said in reply, "I would stop imagining". I would tell the fearful student that we were born to live and enjoy, even if they are laughed at, no one cares because you know what you are, and if it's about failing, real success is when you fail and then get back on your feet and try again.

If this were a real-life situation, I think I would be successful in helping the students, but still, I need more experience with children, so it might not really work with the impatient student, but it could with the fearful students. My advice to educators who want to inculcate these values in children is just that the only way is to relate with stories and real-life situations; you can connect with a Birbal tale or a Nassrudin tale; stories with values help to bring about values in children. My earlier class teacher used to tell several unique stories with values in the reflection period. Through her little tales and real-life experiences, understanding values and even Science was much more accessible!

Rishona Chopra
Grade VI
Gyanshree School

Courage and Patience - Jyoti Tadiyal & Laxmi Kant Bhatt

Joy Of Learning Cohort 2022

 विषय -  भय से भरा हुआ विद्यार्थी & एक अधीर विद्यार्थी

प्रस्तावना – विद्यार्थी जीवन अनेक प्रकार के रंगों से भरा है। इसमें हर कदम पर उत्साह है, उमंग है, खुशियां है। कुछ नया सीखते जाने की ललक है। परंतु इस सफर में कुछ ऐसे भी मोड़ आते हैं जब भय और अधीरता विद्यार्थी के भीतर दिखने लगती है।

( क) भय से भरे विद्यार्थी – भय मानव जीवन का एक आवश्यक अंग है। नौ रसों में एक यह भी है। मेरी कक्षा में अक्सर ऐसी स्थिति आ जाती है, जब एक बच्चा डरा हुआ लगता है। कारण विषय का सही ज्ञान न होना। इनके डर को दूर करने के लिए सबसे पहले वार्तालाप का स्तर बढ़ाया गया। अलग से समझाया गया। और कक्षा में विशेष ध्यान दिया गया। प्रश्न पूछने का तरीका सरल बनाया गया। जिससे उसका भय दूर हो गया। इस बीच इस बात का विशेष ध्यान रखा गया कि बाकि विद्यार्थी अपने आप को उपेक्षित महसूस न करें। धीरे – धीरे परिस्थितियों में सुधार आ गया और अब सभी उसकी प्रशंसा करते हैं।

(ख) एक अधीर विद्यार्थी – कक्षा की एक बालिका अत्यन्त अधीर है। जिस कारण वह अनेक बार उपहास का पात्र बन जाती है। मैंने उसे समझाया कि इस प्रकार का व्यवहार सही नहीं है। आपके अंदर योग्यता है परंतु जल्दीबाजी करने से वह दिख नहीं पाती। इसलिए किसी भी काम को ठंडे दिमाग से सोच विचारकर करो। धैर्य न होने से आपका व्यक्तित्व खराब हो रहा है। आप उत्तेजित न हुआ करें हम आपके साथ हैं। इस प्रकार के परामर्श से विद्यार्थी के व्यक्तित्व मे सुधार देखा गया। 

उपसंहार – इस प्रकार एक अध्यापिका के रूप में विद्यार्थियों के साथ परामर्श बहुत आवश्यक है। भय और अधीरता स्वाभाविक लक्षण हैं। जिनका निदान प्रेम और विश्वास है।

धन्यवाद

प्रेषक – ज्योति तड़ियाल        लक्ष्मीकांत भट्ट

विद्यालय – द दून गर्ल्स स्कूल।

Honesty and Respect - Maithreyi Venkataraman

Honesty means being truthful and developing a practice of always speaking the truth. An honest person shows good behaviour and maintains discipline. Honesty is one of the most critical values inculcated in a child. As unfortunate as it may seem, the fact that we cannot turn a blind eye is that dishonesty is seen in abundance in today's world. It has infested the world to such an extent that the adults do not even realize that they are doing an immoral act. Hence, there is an urgent need to teach this vital virtue.

As a mentor, I have encountered many instances wherein the students have been dishonest. In my formative years as a mentor, while I was gaining maturity as a teacher, I was very strict with my students about being dishonest, but it was not that effective. With experience, I learned the right way to handle the situation: to understand the reason behind the act and not the reason for the action.

The most common situation when a student is dishonest is when they have not done their homework or any other such assignment assigned to them with a specific timeline. The way by which a child covers his act is by making excuses which are not valid. And, invariably, the only reaction they get from their teachers is a strict scolding or any other such form or reprimand method for being dishonest. As teachers do so with the best intention of the student in mind, of correcting them and teaching them the right thing to do, we mentors must always observe if a behaviour change has occurred in these students.

It has been observed that behind every action of a child, an adult indeed has a role to play - young minds learn a lot through imitation; they are constantly monitoring and imitating the adults who they look up to, it could be a parent, a family member or a mentor.

It is essential to teach a child that when a person is honest, it enhances their confidence and makes them brave. Everyone is fond of such a person, and an honest person generates trust in the hearts and minds of others. It is essential for both mentors and parents always remember that if a child is being dishonest, it is not always the fault of the child- it is also because we adults have not created the trust in those young minds that we can handle the truth. We have created a fear in the children's minds, and the fear of our reaction discourages them from telling the truth.

The most effective way I have learnt to inspire children to be honest, is by telling them how they enhance their individual personalities by being honest and making them realize that by telling a lie, they are not fooling the person but are breaking trust. We mentors should also tell the students that a lie can provide temporary relief, but it actually only puts them into more trouble. As one lie can easily lead to a hundred more lies. Hence, one must be truthful from the beginning, and it will result in them having very good lifelong friends and make their lives very happy.

Respect is a feeling one holds as regard for the other. Respect is not just restricted to actions and not bounded by age or gender. It is a fundamental right of every living being, and it is essential that students need to learn and understand the need and manner to show respect to all.

Respect can be broadly classified into two aspects they are – a) self–respect and b) respect we give to other living beings.

Self–respect reflects respect for oneself and behaving with honour and dignity at the same time. A child must have self-respect as only then will they understand and realize the need to give respect to others. Respect should be taught to a child so that it should be perceived as a fundamental human quality that is the basic identity of a human being.

As mentors, we need to teach the children that respect is expressed in many ways and is not restricted by age. The child must understand that every action they exhibit in the company of their friends, family, teachers or any stranger reflects the respect they show towards that particular person. Even simple steps like –listening to a person when they speak and maintaining eye contact with those when they talk to you. ... show respect.

As mentors, we have the added responsibility to make our students understand that it is essential that they show respect to their peers and their elders and that they will be treated with respect. An effective way to teach this in class will be by allowing children to do a self-analysis. Give them situations they may have faced in school or at home and encourage them to express how they felt when they were not given any heed or when they were treated rudely. Did they feel bad or left out? Moreover, ask them to compare the same to situations when they felt happy and vital.

The students should further be asked to express the feeling they desired more, the happy feeling or the time they felt left out.

These questions and activities will initiate the child to think, realize, and empathize with people who are not being treated with respect. And it will, in turn, also discourage them from being disrespectful to others and make them realize that – "If they want to be treated with the respect, they need to first give respect and that respect should consistently be earned, never forced.

As mentors and adults, we shoulder a huge responsibility toward our students and children. To inculcate both the above-discussed virtues, we have to realize we can never be hypocrites and always be role models as every action of ours is observed, noticed, learned and imitated by our children.

Maithreyi Venkataraman
Gyanshree School
JOL Cohort 2022

Honesty and Respect - Roopa Bhattacharyya

1. What are the most common instances of dishonest behaviour shown by students in class?

Children's behaviour is a reflection of the society that we live in. Some common instances of dishonest behaviour are – copying from another student during a test or allowing another to copy your work, unauthorized collaboration (sometimes even taking the help of commercial players for projects) on individual assignments to get high scores and sometimes even forgery!

Even small children believe that high scores/grades are most important ...... this is a reflection of the society we live in and particularly the values that the children imbibe at home.

A few years back in grade 2, a very naughty student used to do most of his classwork and get his notebooks corrected, but he rarely did his homework. He was always up to mischief and used to disturb other children. Children being naughty is normal, and other than counselling for disruptive behaviour, there is little that teachers can do.

He scored 6 out of 10 in English during the mid-term assessment, and his bench mate scored 10 on 10. What the child next did was shocking – he stole the answer sheet of his bench mate and replaced the name with his; he also rubbed out his name from his own answer sheet and replaced it with his bench mate's name and put the answer sheet in the bench mate's bag.

The truth emerged only during the next parent teacher meeting; when the bench mate's mother expressed surprise at his low score, I was surprised, as I vividly remembered giving him 10 on 10, and even the records showed 10 on 10. So, on examining the answer sheet, it was evident that the name had been rubbed out and over-written.

The child in question was counselled along with his parents and has not repeated such acts.

However, it is essential to understand why a 7-year-old would indulge in such an act of forgery... The reasons are:

a. Peer pressure to get high scores.

b. Living up to parents' expectations, even if the expectation is unrealistic.

c. Normalization of incorrect/illegal behaviour at home. A child does what he

sees, not what he is told!

2. How far is it true that you must show respect to earn respect in a classroom? Give an instance where you saw this play out.

You must indeed show respect to earn respect in a classroom. Respect encourages students to do their best. A teacher should keep calm, listen to students, use humour, not sarcasm, provide corrective feedback to foster student effort, and acknowledge student growth. Earning your students' respect requires you to be consistent, keep your word, control your frustration, learn who your students are, be patient and be kind. The key is to create the right environment where students are encouraged to ask questions and share their thoughts and ideas without the fear of being ridiculed or discouraged.

In grade 3, a student always raised his hand to answer in the class discussion but was always off the mark and talked about something unrelated to the topic. However, I ensured that he was always given a chance. One day I took him aside and explained that if he paid attention to the lessons and came prepared to the class, his contribution to the discussion would be better, and even other students would appreciate him. Within a few days, I noticed a marked change in his contributions to discussions.

When we examine this case, we realize that the student was seeking attention and once appropriately guided, he could bring out the best. A little bit of respect and trust is all it takes to create the right environment.

Roopa Bhattacharyya
Ahlcon Public School
JOL Cohort 2022